Photo by Richard Hurd

Business Walk will Survey the Businesses on the Stoughton Road Corridor

Business Walk will Survey the Businesses on the Stoughton Road Corridor

Visiting up to 200 Businesses in Three Hours

On June 22nd, between 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., teams of local business and civic leaders will take part in a walking tour (Business Walk) of the Stoughton Road Corridor business community. There is major construction potentially slated for Hwy 51 and could impact a large number of businesses. A Business Walk is an economic development initiative that, in a short amount of time, allows local leaders to get the pulse of how their business community is doing. The goal of the Business Walk is to help create a unified voice, build a stronger relationship between the business community and local government, as well as, target and assist companies at risk to help foster a more prosperous business climate.

During this a half-day blitz, teams made up of city leaders and small business supporters will visit up to 200 businesses. A Business Walk gathers responses from business owners and managers asking them how’s business, what do they like about doing business on Stoughton Road, and what can be done to improve doing business on Stoughton Road. The survey responses help to generate a simple, easy-to-read report that decision makers can use to help strengthen their local business community. This program will then hopefully be a model for other Business Walks in other parts of the city and state.

Supported by:Monona East Side Business Alliance, Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin, Madison Region Economic Partnership, Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce

Alder Denise DeMarb will be available the day of the event for questions and quotes.

About Blueprint Events, LLC: Blueprint Events is located in Madison, WI. We specialize in business and corporate event planning throughout Wisconsin. The Community Blueprint Series – “Business Walk” is an international award winning economic development program that was develop by the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce and Kennedy Turner.

Chamber Accepting Applications for 2017 Pressure Chamber Competition

MADISON – The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce announced today it is accepting applications for this year’s Pressure Chamber pitch event to be held during the Forward Festival, a celebration of entrepreneurship and innovation in Madison taking place Aug. 17-24. In its three years, participating Pressure Chamber companies have gone on to raise more than $100 million from investors.

“Pressure Chamber is a window into what’s next in Greater Madison’s economy,” said Chamber Vice President Kevin Little. “Whether your company is currently raising or planning to raise investment capital in the future, Pressure Chamber is a valuable platform to tell your story and make new connections across the country.”

Applicants for Pressure Chamber go through a screening process that may include presentations with prominent Wisconsin investors. From there, a select number of companies will be chosen to pitch in front of a panel of out-of-state investors, business executives and a live audience during Forward Fest. The winning company is decided based on a combination of judges scoring and audience votes. In addition to receiving the coveted “golden suitcase,” the winning company will also receive an all-expenses paid spot on the Chamber’s exclusive Madison-area startup delegation to San Francisco this October for meetings with top Silicon Valley investment firms.

In its first three years, each Pressure Chamber winner – Fishidy, bluDiagnostics and POLCO – has credited the initiative for helping their company close successful funding rounds. Additionally, Pressure Chamber has been recognized by both the International Economic Development Council and Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest Summit as an entrepreneurship and economic development best practice.

“With each year, the national awareness for this initiative and the number of investment partners has grown, yielding a positive return for both participating companies and Greater Madison,” said Little. “We’re excited to see what this year has to offer.”

Pressure Chamber is open to any industry, as long as the company meets the following requirements:

Must be a member of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce

Must be located in Dane County or plan to locate to Dane County by August 21, 2017

Must have raised at least $25,000, excluding personal investment by company founders

Pressure Chamber is presented by Michael Best & Friedrich, with support from the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, American Family Ventures, Baird Capital, 4490 Ventures, HealthX Ventures, Lindsay Stone & Briggs and Rock River Capital Partners.

About the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce:The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business with nearly 1,300 organizations – ranging from one-person shops to corporations with more than 10,000 employees – working to bring the Greater Madison area to its full potential. The Greater Madison region is a leader in innovation. From cutting-edge technologies to distinctive retail shops to inventive services and products, our members vary greatly but are united by the region’s entrepreneurial spirit. More information can be found at greatermadisonchamber.com.

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Photo by Richard Hurd

Lotsa Stone Fired Pizza Announces Kids Eat Free!

Mondays Kids Eat Free!

One Free Kids’ Meal Per Purchase Of An Adult Entree, Valued At $6.49 Or More. Kids 12 And Under Only. A Kids Meal Is A Cheese or 1-Topping Pizza & A Drink. Cannot Be Combined With Any Other Offers Or Promotions. In-Store Only.

MADISON – As temporary positions become common and with more organizations contracting for short-term engagements, the “gig economy” has arrived in force. Learn how the gig economy is changing traditional business models at the May 23 Tech Council Innovation Network luncheon meeting in Madison.

The luncheon will be held at the Sheraton Hotel on Madison’s John Nolen Drive. Registration and networking begin at 11:30 a.m., lunch at noon and the presentation at 12:30 p.m. The cost is $10 for students and Bunker Labs members, $25 for individual members, $35 for non-members and included for Tech Council corporate members. Click here to register.

Tech Council President Tom Still will moderate as a panel of experts discuss trends such as regulation, competition and how contingent works are changing the hiring process. Panelists include: Carrol Chang, general manager for Uber Wisconsin; Kevin Kiser, head of brand strategy and communications, Bunker; and Traci Scherck, senior human resources consultant, Honkamp Krueger.

“Whether they are called agile workers or gig workers, the rise of freelance and contract workers is changing how jobs are defined,” said Tom Still, president of the Tech Council. “As Wisconsin deals with demographic forces that are shrinking the traditional workforce, gig workers may increasingly be a part of the solution.”

This Tech Council Innovation Network event is sponsored by BMO Harris Bank.

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Learned a lot last 48hrs @CTIdeaFest. Great insights into political campaign innovation, future of health innovation in Madison, on not becoming #Seattle, and impact investing. BUT, biggest takeaway came from Judy Faulkner: